Downtown Tomah will get a makeover next week.

Clean Up Day is Friday, Oct. 16, and volunteers will head out to clean up the downtown area. The event will begin at 8 a.m. and last until 1 p.m. Event organizers are looking for volunteers, and interested individuals can sign up by contacting the Greater Tomah Area Chamber of Commerce. Volunteers can sign up for any amount of time.

“I think it is important that we do emphasize the cleanliness of our community,” Police Chief Wes Revels said of the event.

Organizers and volunteers will meet behind the TeePee Supper Club on Superior Avenue at 8 a.m. Volunteers will be assigned an area to be cleaned and are asked to bring gloves for personal use. Shovels, brooms, rakes or other tools would be appreciated by event organizers to be shared with other volunteers. The tools should be marked clearly so they will be returned to the owner. Garbage bags will be provided.

The event is being put on by the Our Town Tomah group, which is dedicated to the beautification of Tomah. Revels has assisted Our Town Tomah with the event for several years. The event was held annually, but Revels said that Clean Up Day will be held once in the fall and spring.

Cleaning will focus on the downtown area and the east and west alleys in the business district from Clifton Street to Washington Street. Cleaning will also be done along Superior Avenue.

“We start up and down alleys,” Revels said. “We pick up garbage and debris, cut down some weeds. We respect the property rights of individuals, and we try to get all the tall weeds, debris and glass swept up and loaded onto a trailer and hauled away.”

The event will receive assistance from Monroe County Community Services and the Roots and Shoots Program at Tomah High School.

“Last time we had a pretty good group of downtown business owners,” Revels said Tuesday. “(Monroe County) Community Services is a huge help, and the Roots and Shoots program currently has 15 students signed up to assist.”